Ryan endorses Hensarling over Bachmann for leadership post

posted at 2:15 pm on November 5, 2010 by Ed Morrissey

It didn’t take long for Rep. Michele Bachmann’s decision to run for Conference Chair in the House Republican caucus to get a reaction from her colleagues. Caucus veterans started lining up behind Bachmann’s opponent for the position, Jeb Hensarling of Texas. Wisconsin’s Paul Ryan, who is well-regarded by the fiscal conservatives active in the Tea Party movement, endorsed Hensarling in a letter to current House Republicans:

House Republicans Thursday reacted strongly against Rep. Michele Bachmann’s decision to run for a top leadership post in the new majority, looking to nip in the bud any chance that she might attract support from the substantially large group of incoming freshman lawmakers.

The trick for Republicans is to keep Bachmann – the Minnesota Republican viewed by many in leadership as an unserious and unhelpful spokesman for the party – away from an elevated platform that many in the party feel would hinder or harm the GOP, without being viewed as not listening to the Tea Party movement, which supplied much of the energy that gave them a 61-seat pickup and control of the House. …

Top House Republicans from Eric Cantor to Paul Ryan are firmly behind Hensarling, arguing that he is a solid conservative who will provide the very “constitutional conservatism” that Bachmann says she represents.

But Hensarling is far less well known beyond Washington and his home district of the southeast Dallas suburbs, so there is potential for average grassroots conservatives who know of Bachmann but not Hensarling to interpret the party’s support for the latter as a slight of the Tea Party.

To that question, it may be one missing endorsement that could make the case for Hensarling:

Palin, in an e-mail to The Daly Caller, declined to endorse Bachmann, even though she has been an outspoken advocate on the congresswoman’s behalf and accused Politico of sexism Thursday for using a picture of Bachmann having makeup applied to her face.

“I’m taking a position on who gets to sit in the big boy highchair this morning for breakfast… Trig or Tripp?” Palin said, referring to her son and grandson, respectively. “Leadership in the US Congress this morning? Nah … not ’till after the Cheerios,” Palin said.

Dick Armey, chair of Freedom Works, which did a lot of ground work in organizing for the Tea Party, didn’t issue an endorsement but did remind people that Hensarling has solid conservative credentials. He voted against TARP in 2008, one of the few to buck his own party and President to do so, as well as the GOP nominee in the presidential election that took place just a few weeks later. Hensarling has also been at the forefront of fiscal-conservative policy formation over the past few years as a former Republican Study Committee chair, and has earned loyalty for his fundraising (as has Bachmann).

Either one would give fiscal conservatives a strong voice in leadership. Hensarling, though, did not have the same level of public commitment to the Tea Party movement as did Bachmann, who spent considerable time helping people across the country to get organized and enthusiastic about the midterm elections. On the other hand, one could argue that Bachmann may fill a better role as an outside check on GOP leadership, in a role perhaps more analogous to the Tea Party itself.

Blowback

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Comments

Bachmann, it can easily be argued, galvanized the movement that flushed out RINOs and put conservatism back into the party. To push her out is a crime. This will be the first major mistake made by Boehner as Speaker. Typical RINO fumble.

Let me add, Bachmann snapped her fingers last November when the House called a vote on HC, and in 3 days 100,000 people showed up to protest at the Capitol. I was there and I didn’t see Jeb Hensarling.

I’ll confess I don’t know much about Hensarling. Just based on a quick glance at his voting record though, the dude is a bonafide fiscal conservative(and a social one if that matters). It’s not like he’d be a bad choice for the role.

As for Bachmann, maybe leading the Tea Party Caucus is a better fit for her. She has an outsider, anti-establishment reputation that would be undermined somewhat by becoming the Conference Chairperson.

Forget them both. I would like a Tea Party freshman in that spot. How about Jaime Herrera of WA-3? Jon Runyan of NJ-3? Allen West, FL-22? Scott DesJarlais, TN-6? Any of these would be better than Bachmann or Hossenpfeffer.

We don’t need any infighting. If Bachman can’t affect change within the GOP establishment from the outside, then the concept of the Tea Party is of no value. The exact point of the Tea Party is to affect change outside of leadership by forcing leadership back to core principles.

I don’t think the Tea Party should have an “official” seat at the table. This is nothing against Bachman, but I think the Tea Party should not attach itself to the GOP in any way. If they do, I fear they will be hijacked by the political class.

Bachmann, it can easily be argued, galvanized the movement that flushed out RINOs and put conservatism back into the party. To push her out is a crime. This will be the first major mistake made by Boehner as Speaker. Typical RINO fumble.

To add: Bachmann’s race against Clark was the the most expensive house race in history, both sides poured money into it. The left HATES Michele, and the GOP was willing to pauperize their coffers to defend her, and now she gets put on the back burner?

What’s the message here, that she is good enough to keep around and stir things up but not good enough for much else?

Rush just mentioned the Ellmers-Ethridge race and how the liberals are trying to steal the election and how the elites are not defending her because she is a Tea party canaidate. This is the game plan of the elites to destroy the tea party.

Bachmann needs that position. I was netrual until the ellmers event and how the NRCC is going after Ellmers and the NRSC after Miller. The elites are trying to push out the Tea party. It is time to demand representation at the table.

Bachmann needs to win this race. Ryan is a freaking Rino who supported TARP, the autop bailouts and the AIG bonus crap.

Hensarling is not against the Tea Party. He just isn’t the face of the Tea Party like Bachman. We don’t lose either way, but I can tell you straight up Jeb is a true conservative and was so long before he got into politics.

My mom used to work with Jeb for years and all during the Clinton years she would stop by his office and they would talk politics. On April 15th(my birthday), 2009, Jeb wrote a great conservative article in the Dallas Morning News that coincided with the TEA party. Jeb is a Tea Party guy as well.

I love Bachman as well and would like to see her somewhere in a commitee lead. But Hensarling is a great candidate.

I don’t want the Repubs to have an easy target in leadership to demonize. Hensarling is super smart, he’s Ryan’s deputy on Budget, and like Ryan he’s low key. Cantor’s the only member of leadership that can be a bit hard edged, that’s enough. Move up Marsha Blackburn.

She needs to be the outside check. As soon as you have someone claiming tea party status entrenched in a powerful position, the tea party is no longer an underdog fight the good fight. They become “the man”. The very establishment the tea party opposes.

And there is no way things will change quickly enough or dramatically enough that she would escape heavy criticism from the Americans who consider themselves tea partiers.

Bachmann should simply be thrilled she won, and has a place in DC. She should only be concerned with fulfilling her campaign promises. The “Tea Party” needs to perform before their reps can be trusted with a leadership position.

Not really. If a top Democrat refused to endorse Barack Obama for re-election, we’d view it as significant. If she considered it important enough to back Bachmann and stop Hensarling, she’d do so. Palin has no problem speaking out.

Just called Boehner’s West Chester Ohio office. Spoke with a receptive bloke there who claims he “hasn’t heard anything about this leadership position.” He got a polite earful from me, and I suggest anyone who cares call:

The downside of this is that a leadership role would make Bachmann even more a target between now and 2012. The democratics and the media (yes, redundant) would dig deep for dirt on her as they did on Newt. They would pour even more money into her opponent’s election campaign. I don’t believe she is strong enough in her district to withstand the heat when the wave subsides.

Leaders in the House should come from absolutely safe districts for this reason. Princess Nana from SF, Newt from North Georgia, Boehner in an absolutely safe district in Ohio, etc.

“There’s no limit to what we can accomplish, as long as nobody cares who gets the credit.”
– Sign on Ronald Reagan’s Oval Office Desk

GOP, stop this silliness RIGHT @#$%^&*! NOW. You do a good job, and there will plently of glory for EVERYONE.

(And John Boehner: Please put an end to all of that Nancy Pelosi silliness, e.g. taking a USAF jet to fly home to your district. Commercial flights are perfectly good… and will keep you in touch with us “regular people.”)

Wow rush went after the GOP NRCC about the Ellmers race. Way to go Rush. Way to go give them hel!.

The GOP has the house thanks to the Tea party they want to sideline the woman and give the race to a liberal who voted for cap and tax, obamacare, increase in debt cieling and 99% of the Obama-Pelosi agenda.

the GOp establishment is playing with fire and they will get burned. enough. I say the Tea Party and freshman congresscritters should play hardball. Refuse to support John for Speaker unless he fires the NRCC

wow…..The power of RUSH and Palin. the NRCC is now helping Ellmers. Palin sends a tweet last night, Rush hits them upside the head and they change course in a day.

Seems the GOP leadership always gets a little nervous when any member articulates adherence to the Constitution. I think they’re afraid someone like Bachmann won’t play with the boys and be a thorny prick in their side.

Bachmann going on MSNBC shows a lack of good judgement that is desirable in leadership positions.

jjshaka on November 5, 2010 at 2:31 PM

Wha??? most of your Establishment GOP types go on all of the leftist networks, and argue that doing so is a virtue. Watch for Hensarling to appear on Meat the Depressed or some
other typically biased leftist show on nbc.

he is a bush rep. that is all you need to know to not support his leadership bid. how do you expect to have change if you bring the same people back into the leadership positions that were there in 2000-2006?

gophergirl, we’ve just been through a legislative bloodbath, in which socialism was shoved down our collective throats. Your guy Hensarling was in Washington then, right? If he is a leader, why was he invisible in the legislative battles of the last 2 years?

Michele Bachmann’s mistake here was jumping the gun, and running for this position in presence of only the existing House minority, without getting the support of the 64 incoming freshmen.

The support for Hensarling might also be due to experience. Conference Chair might be a sort of “herding cats” position, where the person must reconcile the sometimes conflicting temperaments of 240+ egos. Michele Bachmann is young and enthusiastic, but Hensarling was probably in Congress during the 1994 Republican takeover, and can draw on that experience to repeat what was done right, and avoid repeating the mistakes made back then.

And haveing to even ask the question should be enough reason to vote for Bachman.
Who is Hensarling to begin with? Where was he during this past election, was he rasing money for anybody or defending anybody anywhere?

Thank you. The over reaction on this is embarrassing. This isn’t an all out attack on the tea party.

I think it’s time for a Hotair break. It’s runing my post-election buzz.

gophergirl on November 5, 2010 at 2:37 PM

If you think the elites are not on a full out attack on the Tea party and Palin you are not paying attention. Political power is formed in the trenches with picks like this. There is no overaction. If you win an election yet do not get a seat at the table that makes the decisions you have won nothing.

The elites like the numbers the Tea party gave them but they do not want them at the table making the decisions

As for Bachmann, I just want her at the table for oversight. I don’t trust the establishment, regardless of whether they’re GOP or Dem. Michelle – I trust her to be a voice for the people and she won’t go along to get along.

Just 17 members — about 10 percent of the GOP conference — have written checks to Scozzafava’s campaign. They include House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas) and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is in charge of recruiting candidates to run next year.

Notably absent from that list is Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.), the Republican Conference chairman. Pence, the former chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, has refused to endorse Scozzafava.

“I don’t think this is an NRCC problem. This is a much broader Republican problem,” said the conservative lawmaker, who requested anonymity when discussing internal Republican politics. “The inability of the Republican coalition to coalesce is going to be a huge challenge for us in 2010.”

In an effort to prove Scozzafava can attract conservatives, Sessions pushed Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) to step up and endorse her. After his announcement, Hensarling took shots from some prominent conservative blogs and media outlets, with some going so far as to lob unfounded charges about Hensarling’s personal life.

Leadership aides blame those incidents on Pence, and say his decision not to endorse Scozzafava harms cohesion.

“It breaks down the leadership team when we all can’t be together,” one leadership aide said. “When you see a good guy like Jeb Hensarling step into the fray to take that bullet, you kind of scratch your head and say, ‘Do we really want a Republican majority, or are we in it for something else here?’ ”

Hensarling declined to be interviewed about his endorsement of Scozzafava. A spokesman said he had nothing to add to his statement, issued last Friday.

this “conservative” endorsed DEDE over hoffman. Any questions who to support?

It doesn’t matter if she is in a leadership position or not: running the Constitutional classes and getting a coherent group of Representatives together who understand their position will do more good than drafting legislation. That sort of group can stop up legislation by letting the leadership know they will not vote for spending bills out of line with our fiscal problems and the Constitution.

That will do far more good than any leadership position ever will as it changes the character and nature of what is going on in the House away from the belief that government can be all things to all people at any price. The cost of that is way too high… keep the leadership to their word on keeping spending down and cutting back on government.

Or stop up the works permanently and get that result by default. That takes organization, not leadership and Bachmann is very able to do that.

I have went back and looked at those threads you told me about and I only found one place where we simply just misunderstood each other..Again I want you to know that I would NOT do anything to hurt your feelings or cut you down my friend..I enjoy posting with you and picking at each other..I consider you one of my best cyber friends..Again if I offended you I AM SORRY! you..I promise I did not mean to..:):)